The full text of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement on situation in Syria: Gen.Sergey Rudskoy (Сергей Рудской) #Руцкой #Rudskoy, the head of the Operational HQ:

“On April 4, between 3:42 and 5:10 (Moscow time) on military and civilian installations of the Syrian Arab Republic, air and sea carriers of the United States and their allies suffered a missile attack.Russian air defense systems at the bases of Khmeimim and Tartus timely detected and controlled all launches of missiles from both sea and air carriers of the United States and Great Britain. The announced participation of French aviation has not been registered.

“The aircraft of the US Air Force B-1B, F-15, F-16, as well as the British Tornado Air Force over the Mediterranean, the ships of the American naval forces Labun and Monterey from the water area of the Red Sea were involved.Strategic B-1B bombers went to the targets of strikes against the Syrian territory in the area of ET-TANF, illegally withheld by the United States.A number of Syrian military airfields, industrial and research facilities were subjected to a missile-bomb attack.
According to preliminary data, there are no casualties among the civilian population and military personnel of the Syrian army. The information will be updated and communicated to the public.

According to available information, 103 cruise missiles were used in total, including the Tomahawk-based naval base, as well as controlled GBU-38 airbuses from B-1V aircraft, F-15, F-16 aircraft used air-to-surface missiles.The Tornado airplanes of the British Air Force produced eight “Scalp EG” missiles.
The Syrian air defense means, based on the Soviet-made air defense complexes, successfully repulsed the impacts of aviation and naval weapons.A 71 cruise missile was intercepted. Syrian air defense weapons S-125, S-200, Buk, Kvadrat and Osa were involved in repelling the missile attack. This shows the high efficiency of Syria’s weapons and the excellent training of Syrian military personnel prepared by our experts.
Over the past year and a half, Russia has fully restored Syrian air defense systems and continues to improve it. I would like to note that a few years ago, given the urgent request of some of our Western partners, we refused to supply S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria.Taking into account what happened, we consider it possible to return to consideration of this issue – and not only with regard to Syria, but also other states.

#Rudskoy: US aggression proves that the USA is not interested in objectivity of the investigation, seeks to wreck peaceful settlement in #Syria and destabilize environment in the region. It has nothing to do with declared objectives of countering international terrorism pic.twitter.com/tisIWXTaF8

The targets were, among other things, the air bases of the Syrian Air Force. The data of objective control speak about the following:- On the airfield of Duvali, four missiles were involved in the attack – all shot down;- On the airfield of Dumeir – 12 missiles, all shot down;- By airfield Blay – 18 missiles, all shot down;- On the airfield Shayrat – 12 missiles, all shot down.The airfields were not damaged.Of the nine missiles fired at the unused Mezze airfield, five were shot down.Of the 16 missiles on the airfield Homs destroyed 13. Serious destruction is not observed.30 missiles were involved in a strike against objects in the vicinity of the settlements of Barz and Jaramani. Of these, seven missiles were shot down. These objects, allegedly related to the so-called “military chemical program” of Damascus, are partially destroyed. At the same time they are not used for a long time, people and equipment were not on them.

Russian air defense forces were transferred to the combat mode of operation. Fighter aircraft is on duty in the air.None of the cruise missiles in the zone of Russian air defense weapons was not included. Our anti-aircraft systems were not used.We believe that this strike is not an answer to an alleged chemical attack, but a reaction to the successes of the Syrian armed forces in the struggle to liberate their territory from international terrorism.

At the same time, the blow was struck precisely the day when a special mission of the OPCW to investigate the incident in the city of Duma, where chemical weapons were allegedly used, should begin to work in Damascus.I want to specially draw your attention to the fact that there are no chemical weapons production facilities in Syria, which was fixed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

This fact of American aggression testifies to the US lack of interest in the objectivity of the conducted investigation, the desire to disrupt the peace settlement process in Syria and to destabilize the situation in the Middle East region and has nothing in common with the stated goals for combating international terrorism.At present, the situation in Damascus and other Syrian settlements is assessed as calm.”

The US and its allies struck civil and military facilities in Syria, violating the UN Charter and international law, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, responding to the American-French-British missile strikes of Syria, namely the capital Damascus.

Washington launched “an aggression against a sovereign state which is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism,” the statement from the president said. Putin stressed that the multi-national strikes were not sanctioned by the UN Security Council, and were carried out “in violation of the UN Charter and principles of international law.”

By its actions, the United States is increasingly exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria and bringing sufferings to civilians and actually conniving at terrorists who have been tormenting the Syrian people for seven years and provoking a new wave of refugees from that country and the region as a whole,” Putin said, according to TASS news agency

BREAKING: President Vladimir Putin says Russia will call an emergency session of UN Security Council over strike on Syria.

The Chairman of the United States Army Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, however, said he was not aware that any missiles were intercepted, adding that the military has yet to assess the operational data. General also confirmed that manned aircraft were involved in the airstrikes that hit three facilities in Syria that the US claims are part of its chemical weapons program, RT reports.

Washington and its allies unleashed the bombardment in the early hours of Saturday, April 14, in retaliation for the alleged chemical attack by the Assad government in the town of Douma, 10 kilometers from Damascus, last week.

Pres. Trump announces the U.S. will pull out of ##Syria and days later Syrian govt bombs women & children in an area of no strategic value so the whole world would bomb the hell out of Syria. It doesn't make any sense? Praying this doesn't start WWIII #SyriaStrikes#Damascus

The strikes were conducted before a team of investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was due to reach Douma to determine whether the attack had indeed taken place.

Civilians have no opportunity to leave Eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb, amid mortar shellings of the humanitarian corridor near Vafidin, chief of the group controlling the de-escalation zone in the area general Viktor Pankov said, TASS agency reported.

On February 27 at 9 a.m. a humanitarian corridor was opened for the civilians’ exit from the de-escalation zone. Now intense fire is underway from the militants’ side and no civilians have left,” the general continued.

Earlier, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that militants of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group had opened fire at the humanitarian corridor.

On Monday (26.02.2018) Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu announced that under President Vladimir Putin’s order a daily humanitarian pause from 09:00 to 14:00 local time would be declared in Eastern Ghouta starting from February 27.

In Vafidin, Syria’s authorities backed by the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria created conditions for receiving civilians through the only humanitarian corridor linking Damascus with Eastern Ghouta.